Sefton is top of the parks

In the headlines again - this time with Grade I heritage status

SEFTON PARK is one of the top parks in the country - you knew it, but now it's official.

English Heritage has awarded it a Grade I listing, the highest possible heritage ranking, describing it as “an important element of one of England’s great industrial cities”.

They say they have bestowed the classification (up from Grade II*) based upon the 235 acre park being an early example of a municipal park, its design remaining largely unchanged and being the first to introduce French park design to England after Parisian parks architect Édouard André won the brief in a competition.

Wavertree Botanic Garden and Park, which was listed as Grade II, has been bumped up to Grade II*.

Mayor Joe Anderson commented: “I am delighted that English Heritage have reclassified Sefton Park. It recognises the investment that has gone into restoring, maintaining and improving the site in recent years.”

A £7 million restoration project was carried out in 2008, including refurbishment of the watercourses, renovation of rockeries, a new play area, extensive planting, improvements to paths and bridges and restoration of monuments.

Work was also recently completed on a £6 million programme to resurface the roads around the park, with the council borrowing the money to fund the scheme.

Mayoral Lead for Parks Councillor Peter Mitchell, said: “More than 100,000 people spent four fantastic days in the park enjoying world class entertainment as part of Liverpool International Music Festival last month.

“We want to hold more events in our parks and open spaces across the city, giving more people a reason to enjoy the beautiful open spaces created by our forefathers.”

A year in the news

It's the latest news headline for the park, built on land bought by Liverpool Corporation from the Earl of Sefton, and opened by Prince Arthur in 1872.

Pic By Joe Anderson“We are absolutely committed to attracting more people into our parks,” said Mayer Joe in response to the latest news.

"Sefton Park has and always will have a special place in my heart as I used to spend long summer days there when I was a lad, and subsequently many hours there with my own children.”

Indeed, in June, the Mayor, who remains determined to sell off Sefton Meadows, took to Twitter to illustrate this point - using a picture of his young grandson, looking glum in an empty Sefton Meadows, "#sad" and, in the subsequent tweet, the young boy again, smiling among the picnickers of Sefton Park "#happy".

Truly a park to make everyone smile!

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Anderson the idiot still wants to sell off Sefton Meadows for housing when there are plenty of sites that can be built on without ruining a beautiful area. It is not acceptable to use his grandson either, the man has no class.

We tried to cross Sefton Park on Saturday afternoon, a route I have used all my life, to find the Review Field obsructed by continuous wire fencing and most of the grass either dead or crushed into dried muddy tyre tracks. This is an improvement?

Seems to me the mayor can't make up his mind whether he likes English Heritage or not. One minute he's calling them a bunch of idiots for questioning the Peel drawings and saying World Heritage Status is "just a badge on the wall" the next he's falling over himself with delight because of some ranking of parks. What will visitors come to Liverpool for? A half built over park or the World Heritage status?